Heidrek the Annihilator
Heidrek Salo, otherwise addressed as Heidrek the Annihilator, is a Chaos Lord of the Memoirs of Scorn Warband derived from the World Eaters Traitor Legion and a former Centurion of the 23rd Company of the XII "War Hounds" Legion. A man possessed by the uncontrollable desire to ravage entire worlds and unleash havoc upon the galaxy as all World Eaters are, Heidrek differs from his Khornate brethren considerably in that despite the ages of bloodshed and ceaseless conflict that he has participated within, while certainly having afflicted his state of mind, he has managed to retain his harsh intellect and capacity for strategy and has become infamous amongst those descendants and followers of the World Eaters due to an obsession seeded within the depths of his psyche; the Annihilator actively seeks his fellow World Eaters to utterly destroy them in the name of Blood God before all others and maintains an outright hatred for the animalistic Berzerkers that plague his once-kin. Heidrek is a figure of few words, if any, and has remained largely quiet even in the days prior to his augmentation and uplifting into an Astartes - a trait that makes those that consider themselves familiar with the nature of Khorne and his fanatics unsettled, for no screams or bellows, boasts or whispers escape Heidrek's lips. A butcherer of both Imperial and xenos worlds regardless of his spite and grudges, Heidrek relishes battle and is content to bathe in blood as his brothers are, but to encounter those World Eaters outside of his own Warband drives him into unrelenting yet silent anger and evoke bursts of heated, furious outrage from within the Annihilator's otherwise cold and stoic shell that can only be satiated by the satisfaction of their utter rending from the realm of realspace. History Early Life Heidrek Salo was born within the lands once known as Nordyc prior to the conclusion of the Unification Wars that were instigated by the Emperor of Mankind in his efforts to reunite the remnants of humanity and their techno-barbarian states in order to impose a new era of prosperity and interstellar travel. A quiet individual even prior to the process of cybernetic and biological augmentation and hypnotherapy undergone by Astartes recruits, Heidrek preferred actions to words and would allow them to speak for him, making his voice heard to so few throughout his lifetime both before and after his descent towards the Ruinous Powers. A highly-strung, anti-social and savage delinquent that had an understanding of primitive firearms and tribal weaponry as a result of his upbringing, and a hatred for the old, the diseased, and those he perceived as weak, he grew to become a champion of his tribe before even two decades of age and was a relentless, brutal killer - a perfect candidate for the XII Legion of Astartes, whom kidnapped Heidrek along with various other feral humans across Nordyc in order to induct them into their Legion, although Heidrek was noted for having shown evident resistance towards his captors much to their amusement. Competing within gladiatorial competitions with youths and young adults from across Terra, Heidrek was noted for being particularly keen on using his bare hands to fight and kill, even with the acquired knowledge to use weaponry more complex than simple blasters and tomahawks - his favoured methods involved dashing the skulls of his opposition against solid surfaces and jabbing his thumbs into his foes' eye sockets, occasionally doing both. While others would have considered such a rather primitive means of combat, his War Hound observers considered such a blessing, for even though he found himself capable of using weaponry and even face-to-face with armed opponents, he retained the capacity to tear them apart with his bare hands without fear or hesitation while utilizing an awareness of the movements of his enemies, able to somewhat predict their attack patterns and strategies. He was as cunning as he was strong and was found to be compatible with the resources required for the metamorphosis into a full-fledged Astartes of the XII Legion, beginning his trials as a Neophyte. As a Neophyte, Heidrek gained a mild appreciation for those within his company, as at last he found himself surrounded by those of considerable strength and merit, much like himself, although he retained his silent demeanour despite the hypnotherapy that had been induced upon him. Nonetheless, he managed to perform well within both independent and squad-based activities and after many trials and hardships, along with many casualties and gruelling injuries, Heidrek was assigned to the 23rd Company of the XII Legion as a component of a Tactical Squad and adapted surprisingly fast to combat against non-Astartes enemies upon the frontlines of both xenos and insurrectionist worlds; his presence within the military campaigns engaged by the 23rd Company was noted to be unsettling to his enemies due to his absence of stupendous combat fervor and tyrannical yelling and boasting, instead opting to utterly destroy his opposition in complete silence and refused to speak even to his most trusted colleagues and superiors, which inevitably led to various issues pertaining towards miscommunication throughout his military career. Great Crusade Heidrek was noted for having been present in many campaigns undertaken and instigated by the War Hounds throughout the Great Crusade, with the most notable of his early conflicts being the Nove Shendak Campaign where, already a Sergeant, he contributed towards the scouring of the intelligent, sapient worms that held dominion over the world, including the previously undiscovered human populace which effectively served as cattle for the slithering xenos, with several other planets having been taken as thralls by their empire. Heidrek had been present when the worms had little left to lose and attempted a counter-assault on the Astartes that had been decimating their numbers and were met only with the Emperor and the fierce might of the XII Legion, although Heidrek had watched many a brother fall to the bioelectric slaughter initiated by the Nove Shendak natives in their last, writhing attack upon the Imperial militants which concluded with their inevitable extinction, with Heidrek having racked up a considerable death toll and also taking it upon himself - as well as several other brothers - to slay several of the last of the Nove Shendak worms after they had been depleted to a point where they could no longer even hope to sustain their society and integrity as a species. The Storm Within, as he had been nicknamed by his colleagues due to his quiet nature, participated within many minor and short campaigns, and it was through his service throughout these smaller engagements and his contribution to the Nove Shendak Campaign that allowed him to ascend the ranks of the War Hounds, eventually coming to the rank of Centurion and lead engagements of his own sometime prior to one of the most significant events to have occured in the history of the XII Legion - the rediscovery of the lost Primarch Angron, the Red Angel, upon Nuceria. While until that point Heidrek had garnered favour of the XII Legion due to their evident strength and zeal and absence of the desires to surrender or retreat unnecessarily, the Storm Within had little idea of the changes and institutions that would arise from the integration of Angron into the XII Legion and the eventual descent towards the path of Chaos and Khornate worship, having come to see the members of his Legion as blood brothers that thrived with strength that encouraged and motivated one another to persist in their harsh and violent activities without doubt; it had been what Heidrek had desired since he had been a mere human upon the world of Terra, a chance to annihilate the weak yet also feed the XII Legion, and in turn the realm of the Emperor of Man, with strength and forceful vitality. Throughout the string of minor engagements that Heidrek contributed towards both prior and after the Nove Shendak Campaign, he had gained a prominent craving for Orkoid opposition and perhaps pitied them due to their lacking of true intellect in the face of foes such as the War Hounds, yet found their relentless nature as something to be, somewhat, admired even if they were simply animals by comparison thus not true warriors. Heidrek has also been at the center of various inter-Legion conflicts and personal disputes, with those others that commanded the great Companies and Chapters finding the Storm Within a difficult man to entrust with the responsibilities of guiding their legions due to his sworn silence and resistance of verbal communication, and to assume that Heidrek and other prominent members of the XII Legion had come to blows would not be too far-fetched, although ultimately Heidrek maintained - somehow - a respectable and venerated position as a Centurion, commanding the 23rd Company and carefully observing the progression and achievements of his brothers within the Company and their neighbouring armies. Rediscovery of the Red Angel Horus Heresy Istvaan III Atrocity Shadow Crusade and Purge of Nuceria Battle of Terra Post-Heresy Battle of Skalathrax Memoirs of Scorn Notable Campaigns * Nove Shendak Campaign (Eight-Two-Seven) (Unknown Date.M30): * Golgothan Slaughter, Siege of Sarum (Unknown Date.M30): * Ghenna Scouring (Unknown Date.M30): ** Night of the Wolf (Unknown Date.M30): * Destruction of the Auretian Technocracy (004.M31): * Cleansing of Arrigata (004.M31): * Istvaan III Atrocity (005.M31): * Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V (006.M31): * Shadow Crusade and Purge of Nuceria (006.M31): * Battle of Terra (014.M31): * Slave Wars (Unknown Date.M31): ** Battle of Skalathrax (Unknown Date.M31): Personality Appearance Abilities and Traits Equipment Relationships Allies Enemies Quotes By About